Thursday, February 19, 2009

Primates & Politics In A Post-Racial America


So by now unless you've been living under a rock (or parceling out your daily corporate media brainwashing) you've heard about the cartoon that compares our President to a dead chimp. Ooh somebody's gonna get audited soon! Like for the last 10 years at least. People are outraged I tell ya....but you know what....I bet #44 is just brushing it off his shoulders. He's got more important things to think about, like trying to don a cape to save an ungrateful Amerikkka.

Also our new Attorney General got gully and said people were cowards for not being honest about their racial animus. Now let's see what policies the Just-us Department enacts under his tenure to compare if his words and actions are in sync. Already he's said more than Obama would about race and in a direct but firm delivery. Is he the "bad" cop to Obama's "good" cop facade? 

There's a part of me that thinks thusly: all of the politicians (and private citizens) who'd rather see their districts, their states go down in flames rather than be helped by that Black man they didn't vote for should get their wish. Reject the funding. May your flight off the side of the cliff be swift and take as many of your friends with you as possible. 

Filmmaker Alexandria Pelosi has another documentary "Right America Feeling Wronged" which chronicles the "pain" of those whites that didn't want Obama for President (but who couldn't offer any legit policy objections) and they were shedding bitter tears. Some people may be offended by the more incendiary sentiments expressed but I just laughed. Now they get to have a taste of what it's like for the rest of us. Here's one of the funnier clips though just so you get a taste of the underlying racism that presents itself through the anti-intellectualism of its host:


Last night's Anderson Cooper segment between Roland Martin and Ron Christie discussing the validity of AG Holder's statement on race was indicative of a) Republican obstructionism and obfuscation b) the idiocy of some people c) the lack of honesty about the attitudes in this country d) why getting emotional undermines getting work done. There is something quite unsettling about watching a real-life Uncle Remus in the flesh though.

Take a chill pill Roland, the guy is an eloquent idiot and you know that's why CNN put him on. It's the stealth racist tactics you have to look out for. Christie is being paid to be a professional contrarian and enjoys his role - which is why he can deliver his argument without emotion. Were Amy Holmes or Tara Wall not available? Did anyone else blanch when he used the term proud Black man

Here's the kicker though: he probably knows more about Black heritage than the average Black person. This is the danger of touting post-racial politics. He has no alliances to the Black community. You know he was made fun of as kid. I can picture him grinning to his benefactors and see the groove worn at the top of head from its most often patted section like the good little lapdog he's been. He simply has no self-respect but like your average rap artist who touts drug-dealing and rims, he knows what stereotypes to promote to make a buck. Don't hate the player, hate the game. 

I would love to see more Black people offering a thorough critique of the President without partisan punditry. This is why we need more balanced coverage and the Fairness Doctrine back and enforceable. We get it in the blogosphere but not on television. 


Update: Al Sharpton led a protest against the New York Post earlier. True to his race huckster for dollars he has to focus on the trivial instead of changing the infrastructure. It's not sexy or incendiary enough though. I had to ignore an obvious troll at a Black political blog who insisted these Civil Rights organizations and (blowhard) representatives offered equal assistance to both Black men and women when dealing with infringements from white supremacist people/orgs. I asked for specific examples of campaigns that were offering support to Black women who've been harmed/oppressed/insulted and they couldn't provide ONE instance. Which was my point. I think I should add a subtitle to this post: "only applicable to men".

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2 comments:

Annette C said...

Having the cartoon and Mr. Holder's comments in the media at the same time is just absolutely ironic. But they still try to bury their heads in the sand trying to deny his comments had any merit. It's a good thing we are used to the madness or it would make us all a little crazy by now...hmmm...maybe it already has!

Faith at Acts of Faith Blog said...

Welcome AnnKura: Yes I wondered if AG Holder's statements had something to do with the cartoon as well. Until white people are willing to dismantle their privileged status there can be no true acknowledgment of the underlying racism expressed by others. Feel free to stop by again!